this time will be better
by Pasticcino
Summary: 1938-39. Lovino and Ludwig talk before the war.


Ludwig was still so young, and sometimes even _he_ forgot it, but sitting like this in Lovino's kitchen he couldn't help but remember. Something about the way Lovino cooked, something about the way he took everything so easily in the kitchen, made him wonder just how long he'd been doing it.

It was a silly thing to think about, there were plenty of people that had experience in the kitchen, and they were much younger than him. Still, his thoughts wouldn't leave him as he drummed his fingers on the small wooden table and stared fixedly at the other. Maybe it was just that he wasn't used to seeing the Italian look so sure of himself.

Lovino huffed and stopped chopping, waving the knife in the air as he shot an annoyed look at Ludwig. "The fuck are you looking at? Maybe you should get off your lazy ass and help!"

"You told me not to…" Had this been another social cue that he'd read wrong? Had he been expected to help regardless? It hadn't exactly been the sweet 'you don't have to' that Feliciano usually offered up though. Lovino had threatened bodily harm if he touched anything while he cooked.

"I bet you like doing what I tell you…"

"Wh-what?"

Ludwig felt his face heat up, especially when Lovino let out a snort and went back to chopping the vegetables. Maybe not everyone forgot his age, there were times when Lovino would tease him like he might a teenager. Ludwig wasn't exactly sure that he wasn't acting like one. It only made his previous thoughts seem more pressing, and he couldn't keep the words from spilling out. "Do you remember Rome?"

It was Lovino's turn to be surprised, the knife almost sliding from his hand as he met Ludwig's eyes. He didn't look angry like he had feared, simply surprised. "What kind of question is that?"

"I was just thinking… About the past."

"Well, I remember when Christ was born, if that's what you mean." Lovino seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before suddenly clearing his throat and looking for a pan. "It's not good to dwell on shit during meals, what even made you think about it?"

Ludwig didn't bother commenting on the fact that cooking was usually when he reflected most, instead just staring at his hands as he thought of what to say. "I feel so young," he finally admitted, rubbing a calloused thumb along his wrist.

"Tch. You should! Better that than acting like some idiot that doesn't realize he's _less than half_ _my age_."

Ludwig was almost offended, but it was clear Lovino had been referring to Alfred and not to him. "…I want to be the next Rome."

"Like I haven't heard that before." Lovino grabbed the pan, but didn't move to do anything with it, just staring out the window. "You just lost a war, you shouldn't even be thinking like that."

"Things are turning around."

"Then keep them that way! If you think this kind of fucking talk is going to make you look more mature, you're younger than I thought." Lovino looked annoyed now, and he slammed the pan down a little harder than he meant to as he finally turned his full attention to Ludwig. "It _is_ just talk, right?"

"Our bosses have been getting along," was all Ludwig said, unable to keep eye contact with Lovino's hard stare.

"Fucking hell. Why are you even talking about this shit with _me_? Feliciano didn't want to play?"

"Feliciano isn't…as reliable."

"Reliable? You think I'm reliable?"

He could tell Lovino was on the verge of laughing, but he kept his face serious as he moved to stand. "You'll stay as long as we're winning."

"And if you lose?"

"We won't."

It was clear that he wasn't exactly impressed, but there was something else there, something that Ludwig would have asked about if Lovino hadn't suddenly spoken. "You haven't talked about this with Feliciano at all?"

"Not yet. I will, of course, but…he isn't _Rome_." It seemed logical enough; Ludwig wasn't exactly sure why Lovino looked so shocked by it. "I need _you_ for this. My people are hopeful, we can be something _better_. I know my brother helped you in the past, I'm calling on that favor." He didn't realize the emotion in his own voice until he was finished, his chest felt like it was burning as he moved to sit back down. "Please…"

"I can't do anything my boss doesn't want." Lovino said it almost softly. His expression had completely changed, but it was still unreadable to him.

"And what does he want?"

Lovino just sighed and pulled a chair up next to Ludwig, knees bumping against the blond's as he sat. "We didn't get shit from the last war and we _won_."

"I pay my debts."

There was a moment of silence, and Ludwig was wracking his brain for what else he might say, trying to remember anything he could from Gilbert's few lessons on alliances. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized Lovino had shifted until he felt a sudden hot breath on his face.

"If you want advice, you need to ask better questions."

Ludwig couldn't even begin to think of what to ask with Lovino this close. He wasn't sure what that even meant. Was Lovino agreeing? "…Like what?" It came out shaky and unsure, and Ludwig had to fight off the urge to push Lovino away so he could _breathe_.

The Italian just seemed to take it as a sign to get closer, and there were lips on his before he could even form another thought.

It was only later, with smooth fingers on his neck and soft sheets against his back that Lovino taught him all the ways that Rome _fell_.


End file.
